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Stinging Nettle Plant and Its Uses

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The stinging nettle plant grows abundantly in northern Europe and much of Asia. This perennial herb grows to 1-2 meters tall in the summer and dies in winter. It has bright, yellow roots and rhizomes, and the leaves are soft and serrated.

This beautiful little plant has many healing uses, which we will discuss in this article. All the parts of the nettle plant have been used for years. It is available as dried leaf, as tea, and as root tincture. This herb can also be purchased in capsule form.

Nettle Extract

Stinging nettle is a beneficial herb to those individuals with arthritis, anemia, hay fever, and kidney problems. The extract can be bought online or at your community health food store.

Nettle is an excellent alternative herb for many ailments and health conditions. The extract has wonderful inflammatory properties which aides in healing.

Juice and Tea

Break out the juice. In clinical trials the juice of the stinging nettle has shown to be used as a diuretic in patients with congestive heart failure. It actually causes increased urination and removable of metabolized medication, which can aid in faster healing.

To prepare a cup of nettle tea, pour a cup of boiling water over 3 to 4 tsps of dried leaves or dried root and steep for 5 minutes. Drink several cups a day for maximum benefits. Nettle is very high in k vitamins and is also good to drink for internal and external bleeding.

Cooking With Nettle

When you cook, crush, or chop the plant it disables the stinging hairs. The leaves are highly nutritious, and are used to make calcium and iron rich soups and other dishes.

Like the basil plant, Nettle makes a great kitchen herb for growing in pots in a bright, sunny window. This makes for fast and easy picking of the leaves and stems when used for cooking. You can dry the leaves or leave them just the way they are when using in foods such as soups.

Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

Do you want a safe, all natural treatment to lower your blood sugar? Then look no further. Stinging nettle has proven its worth.

In clinical studies, nettle has been shown to relieve pain, have mild anti-inflammatory effects, and lower blood sugar levels. This is just a few of its uses. Nettle seems to be used to treat many ailments and would be considered a miracle cure-all.

This herb is generally considered safe to use when used as directed. However, mild stomach upset, fluid retention, and hives (mainly from topical use) can occur. The nettle plant has little stinging hairs that can aggravate the skin so take special care when handling the nettle plant.

Because nettles can sometimes alter a woman’s hormones, pregnant women should not use nettle. And breast-feeding women should avoid too much use of this herb.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle#Medicinal_uses http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/stinging-nettle-000275.htm



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